


Is Blood Thicker Than Water

by Birdy_101



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Minor Injuries, Mpreg, Post-Season/Series 02 AU, Prolonged Labor, graphic birth, graphic labor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-08 07:36:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13453512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdy_101/pseuds/Birdy_101
Summary: “Keith, are you going to be okay? You’re not, you’re not dying are you?”Shock made my eyes wider than saucers. “No. Lance, I’m not dying, of course, I’m not.”“Why else would you leave?”“I’m pregnant,” I said, giving Lance what I could manage of a smile. “As ridiculous as it sounds I really am.”“Wh-what?” Lance’s eyes were wide. “How?”





	1. Chapter One

My arm was slung over his shoulders as we took the tunnels at a speed hardly over a crawl. 

“You just had to sprain your ankle didn’t you?” Lance gripped, his head turning in either direction. 

“And you’re acting like I did it on purpose,” I shot back at him. “I didn’t mean to fall nearly two stories. Sorry I survived or you would’ve been able to get out of here faster!”

Lance glared at me, his jaw moving like he was chewing before he slammed it shut. His muscles clenched. “Let’s just find out a way to get out of here.”

I didn’t respond. Even the fact he hadn’t taken the bait, hadn’t fought back had to be some indication right? Look around the tunnel in the dim light from his flashlight I tried to take in every crack, every crevasse. 

The walls were solid stone, piles of rock around the edges and dirt clogging up the air. 

“You’re telling me you don’t have a map of this place?” Lance asked. “You’ve been scouting this place for months.”

“I was undercover,” I rolled my eyes. “Refugees aren’t supposed to go snooping around. If I’d tried it would have been suspicious.” I grit my teeth as a small spasm flashed over my spine.

He looked at me, dark blue hitting the flashlight beam. In that second the ice melted a fraction. “Despite the circumstances, it really is nice to see you again Keith.”

I smiled weakly, chuckling under my breath. “Of all the people they could send to check up on me why in the world is it you?”

Lance opened his mouth, insulated and ready to protest. 

“I’m teasing you Lance,” I squeezed his arm. “It’s nice to see you too.”

He squished my side gently, a halfway way imitation of a hug. The movement shifted me, my ankle getting my full weight. 

With a cry I stopped dead, holding onto his shoulders.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Lance said quickly.

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” he said, teeth grit. “Let’s just stop for a bit. Maybe we can find something to brace it with.”

Looking around quickly he found a small niche in the rocks, helping me down to the uneven floor.  

“Thanks,” I lifted my leg up. Lance propped up the flashlight on the rocks, the beam hitting the ceiling above and shining back down like a dim spotlight. 

“How bad is it?” Lance slid down the wall next to me. 

“I’ve had worse,” I lied smoothly. “It’s just a bit harder with everything else.”

He opened his mouth to answer but either couldn’t find the words or couldn’t find the energy. 

I rested my head back on the cracked stone wall forcing myself to breathe. Lance made no noise. There was a tingle on the back of my neck that told me he was staring. 

Opening one eye I smirked at him, catching his eye. 

“If you’ve got something to say now would be the time. You don’t have to stare.”

Lance looked away quickly. “I’m not staring!” he protested.

I shook my head, removing my gloves and placing them in my pocket. The fuzz was almost white like a peach and pulled at the violet skin below. “You know I’m still getting used to it too.”

“When did it start?” Lance scooted closer.

“Before I left actually,” I admitted. 

“Really?” Lance yelped, an inch from my ear. “I never noticed!”

“You’re good at that.”

He crossed his arms. “That’s uncalled for!”

“Relax,” I put a hand on his arm. “I’m teasing you Lance.” 

Before I could hear his response I felt a cramp gripping my back. My fingers closed over his wrist, nails digging. 

“Keith?” Lance placed a hand on mine, worry filling his voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied quickly, feeling the cramp slowly fade “I’m good. This ground just isn’t the best place to sit.”

“Should we keep going?”

I took a deep breath, looking down the long tunnel, into the blackness that spread before us. “We should.”

Lance stood in one motion, holding an arm out to me. Reaching up I gripped his forearm, holding tight as he raised me to my feet. He grunted as I straightened. “What have you been eating?”

“Not Hunk’s cooking,” I pushed past the insult, my mouth watering already. 

He chuckled. “There has to be some good food somewhere on this planet.” Lance ducked to put my arm around his shoulders again. 

“Not really. It’s a refugee planet Lance. Established business isn’t exactly common.”

He glanced at me, brows drawn. “That really sucks.”

I shrugged. “I got used to it. I lived in a boarding house for the first couple months. There was a woman and her mother who made these really awesome fruit pie things,” my stomach growled at the thought. I pushed it aside quickly. “But once I moved out it was just me.”

Lance actually faltered a second. “You’ve been living on your own for this long?”

“Is that so surprising?” I asked. “I lived alone when you first met me.”

He considered a moment. “You know we did actually meet before the desert.”

I felt my cheeks flush and was grateful for the thick fur. “I really don’t remember most anything that happened in the garrison. Most of my time there was spent worrying about Shiro. Once he went missing and I left,” I shook my head. 

It was like I’d repressed the memories. There just hadn’t been anything important to remember. I couldn’t have told you a single one of my classmates there. 

“It’s just hard to think of you living alone,” Lance pressed forward. 

“Is it really?” I snorted. “I don’t speak, I don’t do anything productive-”

“You had to learn to cook for yourself.”

“Instant ramen and frozen meals really do wonders,” I injected. 

He opened his mouth and paused. “I mean you obviously didn’t go shopping for yourself. Did you find that in a dumpster?”

I glared up at him. “Don’t judge the coat.”

Lance laughed. “I’m judging the coat, you look like you’re drowning in road kill.”

I bowed my head, looking to the patched coat. It weighed heavily on my shoulders, the fur lining inside and the padding uneven. “It’s warm though,” I pointed out.

“I bet,” Lance shivered. 

Giving him a quick once over I took in the thin white jacket, the full body suit with thin electric designs over it. “Speaking of clothes,” I tried to keep the derision out of my voice. 

“I get to choose my clothes,” Lance defended himself quickly. 

“Clearly.”

He hit my hip with his, trying to unseat me again. Thankfully enough he hit a padded area of my coat, only helping himself get off balance. 

“It can’t be any good in the cold,” I prodded, still watching him closely. 

He tried in vain to hide a shiver and I paused. 

“What are you doing?” Lance asked, still helping me to the wall. Leaning heavily against the stone I pulled the large coat from my shoulders and offered it to him. Cold swept over me and my blood quickly adjusted. 

“Go on,” I offered it to him. “You’re going to freeze to death if you don’t try something to keep yourself warm.”

Lance held up his arms. “No way. Not a chance. I am not wearing that ugly thing.”

I continued to hold it out, taking a step forward gingerly on my twisted ankle. “There’s no one here to see you but me. I think the one person who can walk should be warm.”

“But you’ll be cold,” he protested again. 

“I’ve been living on this ice ball for nearly ten months,” I pointed out. “And, in case you hadn't noticed, I have fur now.”

Lance smiled a bit, moving forward. “Fine, fine, fine. I’ll take it.” He pulled the arms on, letting the heavyweight settle on his shoulders. His eyes closed for a fraction of a second as the warmth washed over him. 

“I take it all back,” he sighed. “This is a good coat.”

“Told you.”

Spine resting against the cold stone I saw his eyes take me in a second time. Like most everyone he did a double take, blinking quickly. While he said nothing I saw the judgment in his eyes. 

In the last nine and a half months my skin wasn’t the only thing to change. My clothes were all in varying degrees of wearing out. My pants were almost burlap at the knees where the stretching fabric had worn thin. It held on by a wiry piece of rope. The shirts I wore were also threadbare, the elbows patched. The first layer was tight, outlining the jutting bones. The second was thicker, hanging off my stomach and ending about my belly button. With the gloves off the only thing left to hide my new galra visage was the large hat I’d pulled down to my forehead. 

My clothes weren’t what drew the stares this time I knew. It was my stomach. Rounded out, about the size of a small watermelon it stuck out over the waist of my pants, the belly button creating a small bubble under the clothes. 

“Well,” Lance said, seemingly unable to stop himself. 

“Come on,” I rolled my eyes. “Pidge must have told you when they sent you here. It’s not like it’s a surprise.”

He said nothing, moving next to me so we could continue to move. 

I put my arm around his shoulders again, keeping a steady pace. A knot formed in my gut as the awful thought came to me. What if they hadn't told him? 

No, Pidge had to have told him. They wouldn't have sent him in here blind. 

As we walked I looked down to my abdomen. The skin stuck out only just too large for me to see my toes. From inside, wrapped up among the squashed organs, came a faint wriggling. I shifted again, trying not to draw attention to the child settling down between my ribs. 


	2. Chapter Two

 

“So what have you been doing here?” Lance asked, interrupting both my thoughts and my worries. Even the baby paused to listen, holding still again. 

“Nothing much,” I shrugged with my free shoulder. “I mean I had to blend in didn’t I?”

“But you were undercover. You had a mission.”

I nodded. “My mission was to wait for, wait for the Galra,” I sighed, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks. “I was to ingrain into the culture. Then I was supposed to wait for any other Galra, keep an eye on them.”

“Seriously?” Lance choked. “We could’ve had a robot do that!” A faint rushing could be heard, under his words. “A trained monkey could do that. Why would they send you? Why would he send our best pilot, let alone a Voltron pilot? How could they do-”

“Lance,” I squeezed his arm lightly. “I asked for this.”

“What?” he looked down at me, betrayal was written in every line of his face. “Why? Didn’t you know how long it would be? From what Pidge said I’m only here for a status report. Your mission was never given an endpoint. You, you could be here forever.” his voice turned flat and hollow. “You could never come back.”

“I know.” There was a quiet stream of sound I assumed must be my heartbeat. 

Lance slowed, taking our tunnel at a snail’s crawl. “Why?”

Wishing I could find a way to voice his question I pushed him forward, much to my ankle’s dismay. We turned a corner and a wave of sound hit my ears. 

Lance swung his light around and it landed on a river of black water. It moved past, fast enough to drag an elephant away. 

“Is it a dead end?” I limped forward carefully, glancing down either end of the passageway.

Lance Followed his light along either side of the stream. There was a thin pathway to either side of us making a ‘T’ shaped road. 

“What now?” Lance’s voice cracked as he stared helplessly at the force of nature before us. 

“I don’t-” the pain I had felt earlier returned again, an all-consuming cramp that hit like lighting up my spine. The pain had doubled in intensity and I bent over, doing everything in my power not to moan. 

“Keith?”

“W-We should stop a bit,” I tried to breathe. “We can think of a plan.”

Lance was at my side, holding my arm. “I think that fall messed you up more than we thought.”

“Maybe,” I breathed. The pain had passed but still, I let him lower both of us to the ground. He knelt next to me at the edge of the pool, grabbing a larger sized stone. With careful, and surprisingly warm fingers he placed my tender ankle on the flat rock. 

“Is that any better?”

“Much,” I lied easily. 

He leaned forward, sitting cross-legged and resting his elbows on his knees “Keith?”

“Hmm?” I spoke quietly, not wanting to hear any more of his questions. There was so much I knew he wanted to ask, so much I didn’t want to answer. 

“Why did you accept this mission?”

“I told you I asked for it,” I rubbed my side, eyes closed. 

“Why?” he echoed. 

 

“Why?” Pidge gawked at me over the table. I stood in the doorway of the small room, looking in at the few people gathered there. The princess sat at the head, Coran at her shoulder. Shiro was on her other side, Pidge standing before them with the plans for observance on the little refugee planet. 

“Keith, this is not a mission for a person,” Allura said. 

“We were just going to send a camera,” Coran chimed in. 

Shiro said nothing, fingers clasped, metal on the glove. His eyes were heavy, watching me with a steady gaze. 

“It complicated,” I crossed my arms over my chest. I moved to Pidges side. “But wouldn’t this be better? If you have an actual person to watch the galra refugees, see if they’re plotting anything.”

Allura turned her gaze to each member of the group. “I’ll admit the idea does sound tempting. But Keith,” she turned her attention back to him, “why would you want this? This mission could last for years.”

I rubbed my arm before carefully peeling off my red jacket. Below the sleeves, covering almost down to the elbows a stain of purple skin could be seen. 

“Oh,” Pidge’s gasp was soft, horror hiding underneath it. 

I gave them only a moment to see my reasoning. 

“Keith,” Shiro was at my side. He placed his human hand on my shoulder. “We all know you’re part galra. This doesn't change anything.”

“And when I become fully galra?” I didn’t dare look at him, turning my attention to Allura. “No one wants to be saved by someone who looks like the enemy.”

Her sorrow was written clearly across her face. “Keith. You are a paladin. We need you here.”

“You really want one of the enemy at the helm of one of the lions?”

Coran put a hand on Allura’s. “Princess. It seems we cannot stop him from leaving. Perhaps it would be best if we knew where he was?”

Pidge put her foot down, literally. “No,” she said firmly, forcing her voice not to rise. “No. You can’t be serious about this. You can’t go. You’re a pilot of Voltron.”

“And we know that other pilots can be found.”

She pushed Shiro out of the way, facing me. “Can we talk?” she growled, teeth grit. 

I nodded once and let her drag me away. Once in the hall, she raised a shaking fist. I flinched away only for her to drop it. 

“Why do you want to leave?” Pidge asked voice choked. “For real. You didn’t want to leave when we first found out you were galra. Why now?”

“You saw my arm-”

“It’s more than that,” she crossed her arms. “It has to be. You wouldn’t leave out of vanity. So what’s really going on?”

My resolve crumbled slowly. “Pidge, it’s hard to explain,” I stuttered. 

“Try,” she glared up at me. 

“You can’t laugh,” I was begging now. 

Her eyebrow raised, almost vanishing into her hairline.

“I,” I swallowed, heat flooding my cheeks and my insides tying themselves into knots. “I’m pregnant.”

Pidge froze. “What?”

“I’m pregnant.”

“You’re joking right?” she dropped her arms, dumbstruck. “You’ve gotta be joking.”

“I wish I was,” I rubbed my arm with my other hand, hiding my stomach from view.

“B-But how?”

“It’s hard to explain,” I gnawed on my lip. 

Her arms folded across her chest. “Try.”

Letting out a long low breath I began, telling her the full story. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the positivity. Reviews are wonderful!


	3. Chapter Three

“Well?” Lance’s voice brought me back to the present. 

“What?” I started.

“Why did you choose this mission over your entire team?” Lance threw his arms into the air, moving to his feet. His toe hit the rock on which my ankle rested, sending it skittering across the rock shelf over the river.

I winced, my foot hitting the ground, twisting the already swelling joint. The pain brought my baby to attention with a sharp kick. Sucking in a sharp breath I put a hand on my side. 

“Keith?”

I looked up at my companion. His gaze had darted to my side for a fraction of a second before returning to mine. His eyes seemed to be drilling holes into me. 

“Lance I can’t explain it now. It’s too long. It’s, I can’t,” I tried to find the words. His glare wasn’t doing anything for my jangled nerves. The rushing noise raised as I stuttered out excuses. 

What if he did know? If he knew I was pregnant the answer would be simple. And if he didn’t? If he didn’t what? What was I trying to hide from him? He’d have to know someday. 

He had to know. “Lance,” I put a hand on the ground, ready to push myself to my feet. Underneath my fingertips, I felt a shifting in the rock. 

“Well?” Lance demanded loudly. 

“Lance,” I looked down at my hand, watching the hairline fractures reflected in the golden light of his flashlight. 

It happened in a second. It was a fraction of a second really, I hardly had time to blink. The fracture split. The pale lines weaving themselves through the rock broke open, becoming chasms in their own right. 

“Lance!” I yelled with my last breath of clean air before I tumbled into the water. 

Black icy water filled my lungs, covering my head. A current stronger than anything I had felt pulled at me, dragging me down and icing over every inch of my body. Legs flailing, arms pumping, trying to bring me to the surface I couldn’t feel myself getting any closer to oxygen. 

Panic overwhelmed me, nothing but terror filling my veins. The cold pressed down like a physical weight. Why couldn’t I get to the top? Something hit me at full force. 

The cracking blow to my head was a dark spiral. 

My last thought was of the baby. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. I came here so they could live. I’d killed them. 

I sunk to the bottom, both mentally and physically. 

* * *

 

Dimly, at the very edge of my consciousness.I felt fingers tighten around my wrist. Water broke above my face, freezing cold air hitting my skin. I couldn’t take it in, my lungs too heavy. 

There was shouting. It sounded very far away. I couldn’t tell what they were saying. 

Hands were around my upper body, a fist digging just below my sternum. They pressed down. Too hard, it would hurt the baby. Struggling weakly I tried to summon the energy to push them off. 

They pressed harder. Heat pooled at the base of my throat. Opening my mouth, trying one more time to inhale and water spurted from my lungs. Hacking coughs forced the water out. Groaning I leaned back. Everything hurt, pain radiates across my entire body, the lower half numb. Blood flow slowly awoke, my fingers shook, pins and needles radiating across every inch of skin. 

The shouting continued. “Keith! Keith!” the voice came at a great distance. 

I tried to turn. It was like being an anchor. I was a thousand pounds, continuing to dip under the water around me. My neck didn’t want to shift. My brain was heavier than my body. I couldn’t hold onto anything around me. 

“Keith!” Lance. It was Lance’s voice. 

I groaned again, trying to form any words. 

“Keith come on. We have to get to the raft.”

“Raft?” my throat closed. I coughed weakly again. There was no raft. 

The water rippled around me. Blinking with difficulty I tried to see where it was coming from. An arm flailed, stirring up white foam. 

“Help me!” Lance called. Reaching out a shaking arm I mocked his movements. Blackwater moved past us as a snail's pace. I wasn’t even sure we were moving. I had no idea where we were headed. Blindly I followed instruction. As my mind came back fraction by fraction I realized what was going on, at least to a degree. Lance was on his back in the water, my body rested on his. As he struggled to keep us both afloat he also pushed us through the water. I continued to help as little as I was able. 

After what felt like several long freezing hours my blurry vision fell upon the wooden slab floating in the water. 

“Will it even hold us?” I asked my voice still waterlogged. 

“It’s better than nothing,” Lance kicked his legs, his shin brushing against my ankle. 

Gritting my teeth I made no complaint, letting him push us toward the raft. I had hardly done anything and the icy water was sapping my strength. 

Water splashed into my face, running across my eyes. Lifting my arm to wipe it away I felt something stirring from my numb body. The pain was building at the base of my spine, wrapping tight arms around my lower body. 

“Grab it,” Lance’s voice urged I opened my eyes to see us swimming closer. I pulled my hand from the water and grabbed the wooden board. It was decently sized, nearly the size of a palette, though completely flat. It floated still even as I placed my weight on it. 

“You first,” Lance twisted, leaving me to float under my own power. The pain was growing, taking all conscious thought with it. Both arms clinging to the board I tried to push myself up. The pain only grew and I whimpered, unable to stop myself.

“Keith?” Lance had swum to the other side, arms ready to lift himself up. 

I swallowed, trying to keep my voice even. “You get on first, I might need some help up.”

He nodded once, heaving his soaking frame onto the wood. For a moment he laid down, panting, teeth chattering. 

With another muffled groan I rested my head on the plank. My legs moved slowly, ankle protesting with every twitch. 

“Keith are you okay?” Lance asked. 

“Peachy,” I grabbed his offered hand. “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” he grunted, pulling me higher up. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“S’ just my ankle.” I lied. I pushed down on the board, hardly able to lift myself. After a short struggle, I dropped onto the makeshift raft. My lungs were compressed, only able to take shallow breaths.

I tried not to pant. Hyperventilation was the last thing my baby needed. After falling down a hole, twisting my ankle, and nearly drowning after being tossed down a river they’d gone through enough. Even thinking of it sent my already cramping insides into knots. What if I’d hurt them already? That much activity so far along… 

The cramping pains doubled, shutting off my thoughts, leaving only instinct. I bent over my stomach and I bit back a groan. Still, it seeped from my throat, guttural and low.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to post. I had wirtten most of the chapter but when I came back I notced Keith was about to tell Pidge what had happened. But I can't really decide so I guess it's up to you. I didn't want to write a sex scene or anything so I've just left interpretation blank.


	4. Chapter Four

“Keith,” Lance spoke firmly. 

I opened my eyes a fraction. 

“Keith,” he held my arm. “What’s going on? You’re freaking me out.”

“It’s nothing,” I said again, giving my best effort to straighten up. I only got halfway before I had to stop. 

“Stop lying to me!” his hands clenched to fists around mine, fingers digging into the skin. 

I grit my teeth, the new pain added to the ever-growing list. “Lance,” I tried again. “I must have just bruised-”

“Space bull shark.”

“I don’t think that’s how the phrase-” my tightening cramp broke in a spike of fire, frying all my nerves, needles jabbing into every muscle. 

Involuntarily I moved forward, holding tight to Lance and trying not to scream. 

“Keith? Keith!” Lance held onto me. “Keith, what’s going on?”

I couldn't speak, I couldn’t move. All I could do was grip the solid form and endure. My eyes squeezed tight, tears threatening to spill over. I dropped my head to his shoulder, panting until the pain finally faded.

“S-Sorry,” I managed. 

“Keith you’ve got to talk to me. What’s going on with you? What’s wrong?”

“Why didn’t Pidge tell you before you came?” I groaned aloud. “Why didn’t she tell you what’s going on? I’m no good with words, I can’t explain.” My breathing petered out, turning to a steady puffing. 

“Tell me what?” Lance’s grip was loose on my arm. He still hesitated, hardly touching me. 

“The reason I came out here, the reason I can’t go back,” I said. “Lance. I’m-”

“Land!” Lance was up on his knees, his hand suddenly tight on my arm. “Keith look there’s a shore just over there.”

I lifted my head, gazing out at the blurry line in the distance. “Is it?”

“Keith,” he turned back to me, face bright. “If we get the edges of the raft up we can use them as paddles. Come on, help me pull them up.”

He moved away from me, leaving me to support myself. I hadn’t realized how much I’d been leaning on him until he was gone. Half lying down I had both palms splayed out on the flat deck, back straining. 

“Keith come on,” Lance began to pull up the edge of the raft. “Help me.”

“One second,” I called weakly. “I’m getting there.”

I saw him look back at me for half a second, but didn’t quite catch the expression. He turned back to the raft, still picking at the seams between the planks. 

All but crawling to his side I put my pale hands inches from the water. Careful not to let them touch the icy black depths I began to pull at the wood. “Lance these are nailed down, how are we going to-”

“Got it,” lance tugged, cracking one end from the rusted nails. 

“Good job,” I said, surprised. 

“I can get your side too.”

“No,” I brushed him off. “I’ve got it,” I lied. 

He sat back, rubbing his arms. Both of us were still half frozen, my clothes at least soaking wet. I leaned forward, using all the strength in another hard tug. I heard the creak of the wood, felt the splinter below my fingers before I toppled backward. 

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it,” Lance moved forward to get the rest. 

Lying on my back I panted. Nails dug into my spine, the impact pressing them up into me. I cried out, eyes squeezing shut. The lapping waves drowned out the low whine I couldn’t stop. 

Why couldn’t I breathe? Why couldn’t I take a breath?

There was a loud crackling of wood, a clattering. I wanted to move, wanted to sit up but I couldn’t inhale. 

“Got it!” Lance turned back, his voice directed toward me. “If we break it in half we can- Keith?”

I didn’t answer, air coming in shallow puffs. 

“Keith?” he moved forward, his hand back on my arm. This time the grip was tight. “Keith, what happened?”

“Breath got knocked out,” I wheezed. 

“You breathe,” Lance stood up. “I’m going to start paddling. You help when you get up.”

Pushing myself to my elbows I tried to protest. “I can help just fine.”

“There’s only one paddle anyway.”

“Then break it in half,” I sat up straighter, trying to push myself upright. Somehow I just couldn’t find the leverage. 

Lance looked back at me. “I’m strong Keith but not that strong, I can’t break a wood panel in half with my hands.”

“Fine,” I dropped back. I lifted my uninjured leg up, foot pressed down. Ready to get myself back up again I moved, feeling a stiff pain moving my back up again. “No,” I muttered. 

Again my voice was drowned out by the sound of water. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update. If you have any feedback I'd really love to hear it. Reviews make updates faster


	5. Chapter Five

I dropped my head back, ready to endure through the most recent pain. Through the corners of my open eyes, I watched Lance. He’d abandoned his coat, arms extended. He held tight to the flat plank, pushing the water behind him with long strokes. 

The pain in my back wrapped around, gripping the front of my stomach. It held tight, pressing in at every organ. I let out a long low groan, teeth grit. Thankfully Lance didn’t look back, too concentrated on rowing. He leaned forward, pushing with the current. 

Then my head dropped back. Another sharp stab had me lying down on the damp wood. My skull hit the boards with a dull thud. With every passing second, my spine was becoming more compressed. Every breath was a battle and the contraction refused to end. 

“Come on,” I panted. “Come on, please.”

“We’re close, only a few more minutes away,” Lance looked back at me with a bright grin. It slid away in under a second. “Keith?”

I shook my head, lips pressed together. 

“Keith?”

“Keep rowing,” I spoke as loud as I could manage. “Let me deal.”

He paused, moving closer to me. “Something is wrong. Talk to me.”

“Get us to land first.”

Hesitantly he turned back to his task. 

I laid down against the raft, completely flat, concentrating on my breathing. It wouldn’t end. The contraction kept going. It must have overlapped another one, two in a row. When it finally broke I nearly fell apart, dropping onto my side. I couldn’t stop myself from shaking, trembling with every breath. Despite the icy cold sweat was peppered across my face and down my back. 

If there was another one like that I wouldn’t be able to handle it. 

After a few more deep breaths I sat myself up. The cold spray of water helped. Blinking away the salt water I peered closer to the horizon. It didn’t take long. Even with my bleary gaze, I could see the upcoming skyline. Sandy beaches made up most of the world in front of me. In the far distance beyond the upcoming sand, I could see trees. With hardly any light above and no light behind it, there was hardly anything to see. 

“What is all this down here?” Lance asked. 

“Dunno,” I mumbled. 

He glanced back at me. “If you had to have a guess?”

“Something akin to the center of the earth being warmer so all this grows with the water that’s melting.”

“Smart, you sure you didn’t get that from Pidge?” he sent me a sly grin. 

I did my best to return it, shoulder slumping slightly. “I must have remembered something she said.”

With a jolt, the raft shifted violently in the waves. 

“Whoa!” Lance yelped, leaning backward. “Keith, could you lie down again?”

“What?” I looked up at him. 

“Lie down. It kept a flat balance for the raft.”

I shifted back into the middle. “If you’re messing with me just to make me-”

“I mean it!”

I did as I was told, grudgingly, but still. With another low breath, I managed to lower myself into a more starfish-like position on my back. 

It really did seem to help. The raft shook less, though I still found myself gripping the sides of the boards with my already splinter covered fingers. 

“How much further?” I asked.

“Few more minutes,” Lance panted. 

Opening my sea soaked eyes I managed to find his blurry outline. His shoulders were hunched as he used all his strength to get us to land. Why was I so useless? There was nothing I could but lie there like a glorified weight. Meanwhile a few inches away my teammate was running himself into the ground trying to save me.

I closed my eyes again, listening to Lance’s breathing, trying to block the sound of the never-ending ocean around us. 

Every few moments the makeshift oar would hit the side of the boat with a loud scrape. I kept the steady rhythm, fingers tapping every time it hit. While I laid there a contraction came and past. It was far milder than the usual ones for which I was grateful. I managed to stay still, keeping my mouth shut until it passed. 

Then I heard a new sound. The wood scraping was dampened, softer. I lifted my head, suddenly aware of the quieting water. Lance dropped the paddle, dropping into a sitting position. “It’s shallow from here on out. You okay to walk?”

“I’ll do my best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you like it. I just want to get the rest of this on here as quick as I can, because I really won't be able to do much after a couple of months. Life gets crazy


	6. Chapter Six

We both took another long moment before we got up. Lance groaned loudly as he heaved himself to his feet, the water going up to his shins. He leaned over , holding an arm out to me. 

“Can’t I just take a nap?” I asked, taking his hand. 

“Not yet buddy.” He lifted me up, putting my arm over his shoulders. “Let’s find a tree or something and some fresh water, then I might join you for that nap.”

I gave him a small smile, straightening up. We took the first few steps slowly, water dragging at my sore ankle. Wincing I gripped his arm. 

“How’s your leg?”

“Not getting better,” I said honestly. 

He hiked my arm further up his shoulders. “Just lean against me, keep your leg out of the water.”

“I’m not going to hop along like a flamingo,” I sniped at him. 

Lance laughed, a deep loud belly laugh. It was so out of nowhere I actually jumped. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“You know I haven’t seen a flamingo in years,” he said, still laughing. “I haven’t seen anything like it either. It’s just not something I’ve thought ever about.”

“How long has it been since we’ve even seen earth?”

“I went back a few months ago.” His voice had dropped an octave, all amusement falling to bits. “Not landing or anything, just, just to look at it, to see.”

I couldn’t help but ask. “How does it look?”

“Beautiful,” he muttered. “Same as always, this big blue and green marble in the dark space. The clouds looked like cotton, just me and red out there.”

“You and who?”

“Didn’t Pidge tell you? We found a new pilot. For the lions. I took the red lion, Allura’s taken over blue.”

“Did she really?” I chuckled, keeping my leg out of the water. “I never would have thought it.”

“She’s fantastic, absolutely a natural.” Lance nodded, lighting up. “And I know blue likes her.”

I nodded, a knot unlatching somewhere in my chest. “Good. That’s very… good.” I hadn't realized how much guilt I’d been carrying. I was selfish, horribly selfish. 

From deep within, just under the unlatched knot came a hearty kick. I paused, letting out a low hissing breath. 

“Keith?”

“Just wait for a second,” I swayed back and forth, waiting for the wriggling to stop. 

“What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing,” I shook my head. “Let’s keep moving.”

He didn’t move. He turned to look at me, shifting my arm from his shoulder. “Keith you were going to tell me what’s wrong. You were going to tell me when we were on the boat. What is wrong with you? You’re hurt. This isn’t just your ankle or the fall. Something is going on.”

“Lance, I-”

“And don’t you dare lie to me.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay. It’s, it’s partly why I left. Actually, it’s the whole reason I left. And trust me I know how crazy it sounds.”

“You don’t make any sense,” he shook his head. 

“Lance I’m-” 

The feeling spread slowly, catching me off guard. I pressed my legs together, the warm liquid a stark contrast from the cold dampness. I hadn’t peed myself. This was something else. I swore aloud, my fingers gripped around his arms. 

“Keith!” he yelped. “What is going on?”

I swore again, panting as panic began to take over. “No, no, no, no. Not yet, not now. Please no.”

“Keith!” 

“We need to get to land now,” I said quickly. 

“Fine!” he threw one arm into the air. “But you are going to talk while we walk. And I want the full story.”

“How full?” I leaned against him as we began. 

“As much as it takes to explain why you left Voltron without so much as a two weeks notice and why you are stuck on this little ice ball looking like you’re wasting away to nothing!”

“What are you talking about?” I looked up at him. “I, I told you, it was because I’m becoming more galra.” I looked down at the violet in my skin, ever creeping onward. 

As he turned to me I could finally see the things I hadn’t before. I could see the lines coming in around his eyes and between his brows. Worry was written there, plain as day, stronger than any emotion I’d ever seen in him. It was stronger than I thought he could feel about me. 

“Keith, are you going to be okay? You’re not, you’re not dying are you?”

Shock made my eyes wider than saucers. “No. Lance, I’m not dying, of course I’m not.”

“Why else would you leave?”

“Lance I’m not dying,” I said firmly. “I promise.”

Relief broke his face, the smile small. The breath he let out sounded heavier than my knot of guilt. “When Pidge sent me, I thought, I thought she was making me last goodbyes or something.”

I shook my head more vigorously. “Not dying.” The beginnings of a cramp began to build. I let out a low breath, “ow,” I huffed. 

“Now spill,” Lance said, not hearing my complaints. “Why are you here? Why did you leave Voltron?”

The pain built itself up, like a pressure cooker preparing to burst. “I, um,” I tried to find my voice, to hide my discomfort. “It really is a long story.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience. I'm going to be out of town a while and so the next chapter might take a bit to get here. I promise you it is coming!   
> Reviews make happy authors and happy authors write faster. :)


	7. Chapter Seven

The pain built itself up, like a pressure cooker preparing to burst. “I, um,” I tried to find my voice, to hide my discomfort. “It really is a long story.”

“Good thing we have a long walk ahead of us,” Lance held tight to me.

“Can we stop again?” I asked, raising my voice.

“Is it your ankle?”

There was no need to lie. “No,” I dug my fingers into his arms, feeling amniotic fluid seeping further down my legs. “It’s not.”

“We’re close to the shore now.” Lance began. I didn’t hear the end of the sentence over my own voice.

It was little more than a scream, torn from me without my volition. The contraction broke over me like a sledgehammer, wrapping around the entirety of the middle of my body. My cry petered out, bending over with a low sob. It was sharper, more exact, like the dull knife had been replaced with a sword.

“Keith? Keith! What’s happened?”

“Keep moving,” I managed. “I need to sit down.”

“Then sit down in the water, I don’t care.”

My voice was strangled, the words coming in weak spurts. “I can’t, it’s not good. I need to sit on dry land.” I rested my head on his shoulder for a moment. “I have to make sure.”

“Make sure of what?”

“Make sure my baby is okay,” my voice was low. “I have to. It’s what I’ve been fighting for. That’s why I've left the team I fought so hard for,” my steps were more certain. “That’s why I left the only friends I’ve ever had. That’s why I live on this miserable ice ball with awful food and awful clothes. That’s why I’ve done all of this!” I could feel the lump building in my throat. “Because I found something that could be something close to a family.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m pregnant,” I said, giving Lance what I could manage of a smile. “As ridiculous as it sounds I really am.”

“Wh-what?” Lance’s eyes were wide. “How?”

“It’s hard to explain,” I kept my voice even, the horrible contraction slowly petering out. “And I’m afraid I don’t really have time right now.”

“Why not?”

“All pregnancies must come to an end.”

Lance became ice cold. “Keith. You’re telling me you’re, you’re having the kid like right now?”

My laugh was strangled, mixed with relief as the pain finally came to an end. “Not at this moment but it can’t be more than a few hours now.”

“What’s so funny about this?” he demanded, continuing through the water. “How can you laugh at this?”

I shook my head. “This isn’t how I imagined any of this going.”

“And how exactly did you imagine you having a baby?” he asked, his voice still higher with incredulity.

“Well alone for one thing,” my free hand moved to my back, free to support my spine. “And in my house.”

His head turned to look at me. “Alone? Why alone?”

“No one on this planet I know. I know how to do it all myself. I just thought I had more time.”

As I spoke, my thoughts turned from the injury on my leg. It sunk into the water where it was pulled down by my boot. I lifted it with a hiss, holding to Lance tighter.

“It is the, the kid?”

“Just my ankle,” I shook my head. “Let’s just get to the shore. Okay?”

I could feel the heat coming from Lance before his words came. “Do you want me to carry you?”

“No,” I said instantly. “I can walk. Besides, I’m too heavy.”

“Is that a challenge?” his smirk was more surprising than the blush.

I shoved his shoulder with mine. “No. It is not. I am going to walk on my own two feet.”

“Your own one foot.”

“Oh shut it, Lance.”

He grinned at me brightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now he knows!
> 
> Thank you all so much for all the positive feedback. I went on a short vacation and I came back to so much love. You are all amazing!  
> I always want to know what you think!


	8. Chapter Eight

I looked past him, out into the shallows. “How much further?”

“Can’t you see it?”

“Must have sea water in my eyes,” I said quickly. 

“Just a few more minutes,” he assured. “You um, tell me if you have any more pain okay?”

“I don’t know if you’ll be able to ignore it.” My hand moved from my back to my stomach. For the first time, I didn’t feel ashamed to do it. I could feel Lance’s gaze on my hand as it starfished across. 

“Can you feel it?”

“What?” I said, looking up at him. 

“Can you feel it? The baby. Can you feel it moving?”

“Not at the moment. I think they’re more concentrated on moving down than anything else.”

He winced. “That doesn't sound… pleasant.”

“Far from,” I said.  

“I’m sorry.” Lance’s voice was earnest. “I really am.” 

I pulled my arm further over his shoulders. “You don’t have to apologize. Pain or no it’s, it’s not a sad occasion.”

“It’s so odd,” he put a hand to my side, holding me up. “Odd to see you so happy I mean.

“Happy?” I couldn't help but laugh, a cold derisive snort. “I fell down a hill, nearly broke my ankle and in labor for hours. How am I happy?”

We kept moving, the water now hardly over my feet. Lance took a slow moment to answer. “It’s not a general happiness. It’s more, you being lighter. Even on this miserable planet, all alone, you’re holding on. It’s all for the kid, isn’t it? You really want it.”

I nodded. “More than anything.”

He picked up the pace. “Then let’s get you out of this water. Let’s get you back to your house. But I do have one condition.”

I moved with him, walking more easily now that I was stuck closer to his side. “What condition?” a knot built in my stomach.

“You won’t be alone. I won’t be much, er any help but I don’t want you to be alone.”

Quickly, the knot loosened. “I’d like that. I really would.” I looked up at him. “Lance-”

The cramp started again, beginning with a vengeance. It took hold quickly, digging into my insides. “Ow,” I whimpered. “Lance, ow.” 

He pulled me closer until my hip was pressed against his, so hard it almost hurt. “Hold on Keith,” he moved faster. 

My steps faltered as I tried to keep up. “Lance I can’t go that fast.”

He stopped only for a moment. With my eyes pressed shut I didn't see him move. Then there were arms under me, lifting me up. Instinctively I grabbed his shirt, fingernails pressing into the cloth. 

“What are you doing?” I asked, voice small. 

“I am getting you to land. Then we are going to find a way to the surface and get you home.”

My hands gripping tight to him, cradled in his arms like little more than a baby myself I had no dignity to protest. 

As we walked I struggled to control my breathing, chest heaving. The throbbing had lost its rhythm, now seizing sporadically. I tucked my head down, not bothering to stop the involuntary groans of pain. 

“Hold on Keith, almost there,” Lance said. 

I nodded slowly, strands brushing against his shirt. “Mhmm,” I hummed to him. “I’ve got it. ‘M fine, just fine.”

“You’re not,” he said, voice firm. “But you will be.”

The contraction stretched again, long and impossible to manage. I huffed through it, doing my best to keep my head. When it came to an end I sighed softly. I stayed quiet, not struggling to move from Lance’s arms. 

As my panting came to an end I could the beginnings of his. 

Lance moved through the last of the water onto the sand. “Um Keith if you don’t me asking your, your pants are wet, and I don’t think it’s water.”

“I didn’t pee myself,” I said defensively. 

Lance flushed red. 

“How much do you know about pregnancy?” I asked incredulously. 

“I know a little. I have a bunch of little siblings.”

“A what did you see other than your mother  _ being  _ pregnant?” I looked up at him, still clinging to his shirt. 

His face became an even darker shade. “Um, nothing.”

“Great,” I muttered. “Well, this is just great.” I pushed at him. “Put me down Lance. I’m too heavy for you anyway.”

“Are not,” he argued. 

“Lance,” I moved one leg, trying to get down. 

“Keith don’t-!” Lance leaned back, arm loosening suddenly. He toppled over, losing his grip. He dropped me. I fell to the sand. My limbs flailed. One arm collided with his head. Sand billowed up around me in a cloud. 

“Keith you got my eye!” Lance yelled aloud. Both hands covered one half of his face.

“S-Sorry,” I tried to speak. My voice wouldn’t come. My spine had compressed. Every bone felt collapsed in on themselves. 

Lance groaned. “I’m going to have a black eye. You ripped my cornea off!” 

I couldn’t say anything. Why couldn’t I speak?

He pulled his hand away, checking his fingers. “Ugh. I better be glad you didn’t take my nose off. It’s not even bleeding.”

I had dropped in a crab-like position. Slowly I let my upper body lower down, eyes closing. It wasn’t a pain. It wasn’t a contraction like I’d thought it would be. It was as if my entire lower body had become a bruise, aching, throbbing. 

“I wish I had a mirror,” he pressed lightly under his eye. “I bet my face is going to swell like none other.”

My movements were slow, steady. Carefully I let myself lie down, my knees staying up. My back throbbed again. 

“My face is going to take weeks to recover,” he said grudgingly. “Eventually. Come on, Keith. We should get going. Keith?” he paused. “Keith!” 

I could hear him dropping down next to me. His hands were on my arm, grip instantly holding tight. 

“Keith you have to talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I fell,” I reached blindly for him. “I couldn’t catch myself.” My voice was hoarse. 

He pulled me up. “We need to keep going.”

My eyes were still closed when I slowly shook my head. 

“Keith,” His fingers curled around my arms. “Keith!”

“Don’t shout,” I begged softly. “It’ll pass. Just give it a minute.”

“Is it one of those contractors?”

I couldn’t stop the laugh, a sound little less breathy chuckle. “Contractions. And no. It’s not. It’s just aching.”

His hand did not loosen, though I did hear the smallest of laughs from him. “Contraction. Got it.”

I let out another long low breath. “Okay. It’s better.” 

“You ready to go?” Lance moved to his feet.

With a nod I pressed my hands to the ground, lifting my knees. After a moment of awkward shifting, I gave up. “Lance I can’t move.”

“What?” he turned around, alarmed. “Are you okay?”

I looked up sheepishly. “Yes, I’m fine. I just can’t get the leverage.”

Lance relaxed slightly. He bent over and held a hand out. “Come on then.”

Taking his hand I gripped it tight. On the count of three, I was lifted back to my feet. I was back at his side, one arm around my side. 

“Ready?” 

“I hope so,” I said. “And we better get as far as we can now.”

“What do you mean?” He let me set my easy limping pace. 

“I think I’m on the last leg of this labor,” I breathed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being so patient with me! Enjoy and please let me know what you think.


	9. Chapter Nine

He moved just a bit faster. “Really?”

I nodded, leaning my head back as we moved. “I’m moving from,” I paused to groan, the strong boulder rolling movements coming again. “I’m moving into transition. It’s second to last phase. I won’t be able to move much after it starts.” 

“I could try and carry you again,” he offered. His head moved back and forth. I knew his eyes were scanning the world around us. He was trying to find a way out. 

“No,” I said quickly. “I need to be able to, um,” heat creeped up my neck. “I have to keep my legs open.”

His own heat could be felt in the frigid air. “Keith? How is the kid coming out?”

I was sure there was steam coming off my face. “It, um, progressed as the kid did. Nothing is… nothing is gone.” I stopped myself. 

“Right, right, right. I don’t want to know anything else.” Lance said quickly. 

I tried to hide my smile. 

“How are you so happy?” He asked. 

“Didn’t we already have this conversation?”

“No. I just told you, you looked happy. I didn’t ask why.”

“You know why,” my free hand moved to my stomach. “It’s for them.”

“Why?”

I paused, raising my eyebrow at him. “What do you want to hear from me? Do you want like a play by play of my thoughts? Do you want to know the minute I knew I couldn’t stay?”

“No,” his voice was hard. “I want to know why it had to be a choice. Why couldn’t you have stayed? You could’ve been this happy in the castle?”

“I couldn’t stay a part of voltron like this. Could you see me in the pilot seat like this?”

“We figured it out,” Lance bit back. “You wouldn’t have to be a pilot. But you didn’t bother to find out. You just left.”

I didn’t answer him, insides twisting. 

“So why? Why didn’t you stay and just let us help?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. 

We moved in silence. For how long I wasn’t sure. But with my gaze on the ground, I could see the never-ending wave of sand. 

“I’m sorry,” Lance said finally.

“What?” I looked up at him. “Why are you sorry?”

He kicked the sand softly, sending up a small golden cloud. “I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that. You did what you thought was best for your kid. And if it was away from us…”

He was trying to bate me, I knew he was. 

“Lance. That isn’t what I meant at-” I stopped, throat closing as a new pain exploded through my body. My knees shook and I gripped his shoulder, trying not to fall over. My breathing came harder. Leaning more heavily on Lance I grit my teeth.

“Do you need to stop?”

“No,” I pressed on. “We have to keep going,” I spoke faster with my quickening pace. “I can not have a baby down here in this place.”

My scream was torn from me, knees collapsing.

“I don’t think you have much of a choice,” Lance turned to take my other arm. 

“No,” I gripped his shirt, the pain mounting. “Not yet. I’m not ready. I can’t-” I whimpered. 

“Keith,” he held onto me. “I don’t know a lot of things about babies but you don’t seem to have a lot of time.”

With another deep breath, I pulled myself back up. “Please Lance.”

His eyes shifted back and forth, dry swallowing. “Keith…”

“You can carry me,” I gave in. “I’ll let you know when it gets really bad. I promise.”

Lance was shaking his head. “Keith you’ve got to stop. Do you see yourself? You’re falling apart. You look exhausted.”

The contraction throbbed up my spine and I slowly lowered myself down, tears moving down my cheeks. 

“Go ahead and lie down,” Lance helped me to the sand. 

Huffing slowly I sat, pulling off my still wet jacket. I was now down to the single layer shirt and the pair of thin pants. The contraction wound down and I dropped to my hands and knees. 

“Keith? You okay?”

“You’re right,” I breathed. “I’m, I’m exhausted.”

“Lie down. Try to sleep.”

“So we’re not supposed to be moving but I can take a nap?” I lowered myself down, putting my damp jacket under my head. 

“I don’t know,” he shook his head. “I don’t know what to do okay? I know nothing about babies or, or anything!” He dropped his head into his hands. 

I sat up, leaning against Lance. “It’ll be fine,” I said quietly. “I know what I’m doing,” I bit my lip. “And if I can ask you to please, please just try to stay calm then I can too.”

He took a deep breath. “I stay calm if you do?”

I nodded. “Deal?”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha.... wow this wasn't supposed to take this long. I normally make excuses but for real I had to move three times this month and it's been hell.


	10. Chapter Ten

Giving him a small smile I settled down, laying against him. Under his damp cold clothes, he was warm. Mindlessly I curled closer to him, trying to find warm, to find any comfort in the world. 

My eyes closed, one arm over me, my coat set back over my shoulders. This time my surrender to unconsciousness was intentional. 

* * *

My return to reality was less pleasant. Pain pulled me back, leaving me groggy. With a quiet groan, I tried to take stock of my surroundings.

I was moving, but not by myself. 

“Lance?” my voice was hoarse. Reaching up I rubbed my eyes, looking around. We were moving quickly along an almost entirely new landscape. Trees glared down from above. There was hardly any light, everything pale green. “Lance where are we?”

I tried to shift only to Feel Lance’s arms close tighter around me. “Don’t move.”

“Where are we?” I opened my mouth to say more, curling in on myself off as I groaned, curling tighter in on myself. “Ow…” I breathed. 

“Don’t move,” Lance insisted. “I just decided to keep going.”

“Liar,” I moved my hands holding onto him. “What’s going on?”

He looked to me, his face pale, lit only by the green above. “You’re hurt. “

“S’ just my ankle.”

“No,” Lance picked up the pace, his breathing hard. “It’s something else.”

My heart squeezed tightly. “Lance, what’s wrong?” I didn’t make the mistake of moving again, too terrified to move. “Lance, is it the baby?”

He swallowed hard. “You-you're bleeding.”

“What?”

“You were just lying in the sand and, you looked like you were hurting,” he hesitated as he spoke. He never stopped walking as he did. His heart pounded against me. “So I tried to wake you but you moved instead. And the sand was just, just drenched.”

As he spoke I slowly reached an arm down to the damp fabric between my legs. 

“I didn't know what to do. You looked like you were in so much pain,” his voice wavered. “So I just started moving.”

I pulled my fingers back and looked down. The pale digits were black in the soft green lighting. “Lance put me down,” I said flatly. “Put me down now.”

Lance stopped, lowering me to the ground. His face was now so pale now  I wasn’t sure if the green was from the leaves above or his face. Pushing myself against the tree behind me I spread my legs. 

For a moment I wasn’t sure if Lance was going to pass out. The brown legs of my pants had become soaked with blood. The dark red sunk into the fabric, dripping into the sand even as I sat down. 

“No,” I looked down. “No, no, no please!” I dropped my head in my hands. My heart was compressing. I couldn’t move. 

* * *

I shot up quickly, chest heaving.

“Keith?” Lance said groggily. He was laid down in the sand, sitting up with grains in his hair. “What’s going on?”

“Just, just a nightmare,” I muttered. 

Lance rubbed his eyes and straightened. I had no idea how long we’d been asleep, the growing cramp not feeling any different than before. “You okay?”

“We need to keep moving,” I said quietly. “We can’t stay h…” my sentence faded into my breath of pains. “Ow, ow,”  I dropped on my hands and knees. “Lance,” I groaned. 

“What do I do?” Lance was up on his knees.

“H-Help me up,” I panted. 

“I told you we can’t keep going. You’re too close.”

My fingers dug into the sand. “I have to stand. Get, get gravity on my side or something,” my scream was strangled in my throat. “I can’t do this!”

“No,” he took my arm. “You promised me you’d stay calm. Just breathe.”

I did my best to breathe, the sounds coming as more of a ragged sobbing. “Help me up. Please. It’s getting worse.”

Lance looked around in a panic. I only managed enough strength to lift my neck a moment before it dropped back down. My hands clasped together and I lowered my upper body down, my elbows in the sand. How had it gotten so much worse so quickly? 

“Keith look!” Lance yelled. 

I followed his line of sight to the far edge of the beach. What I hadn’t seen before was not, in fact, the horizon but a wall. I looked up and around the giant stone dome around us. We were underground, how far underground I had no idea. Mouth half open I shifted my gaze back down to where Lance was pointing. I had to squint to see it but somehow I managed to find the teeny tiny pinprick in the wall. 

“What is it?” I asked. The contraction had slowly ebbed away. 

“I think it’s a tunnel,” Lance said hopefully. “It could be a way back up to the surface.”

“Really?” My heart lifted a fraction, moving up to my knees. 

He was nodding. “We can get back to your place, get you all dried off,” his hope was so fragile I couldn’t bare to let him know. I couldn’t tell him how little time we really had. I could feel the slow path of the infant inside.

“Let’s go,” I tried to get back up. 

Lance was on his feet in less than a second, holding out both arms to me. “Careful.”

“Trying,” I grit my teeth, taking both his hands. 

With a quick count to three, Lance heaved me to my feet. 

Nearly toppling over I clung to Lance’s arms even as he let go. 

“Keith?” he slung an arm around my shoulders. 

“No balance,” I said. My breath came easier now. Looking down I saw the low hanging curve of my stomach. Too far down. I couldn’t keep walking much longer. “Let’s go,” I pushed past the concern. 

“Do you want me to carry you again?” Lance asked, letting me set the pace. 

I looked up at him, ready to counter the offer. This close to him I saw the slow swelling under his eye. The deep tan was giving way to a purple. “No,” I said, a fraction more gently than I’d intended. “I need to walk.”

Lance didn’t argue, though I thought he would. Careful himself he let me set the pace, keeping his eyes firmly on our destination. 

“I’m sorry about your eye,” I said after a moment. 

“What?” Lance lifted his free hand to his cheek. “Oh, right.” He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll heal.”

“What about your, how did you put it, your beautiful complexion?”

“I never said that!” Lance yelped, glaring at me, cheeks flushing red. 

I laughed softly, leaning into his hold. 

We kept walking and I tried to move faster, one hand rubbing my back. 

“Keith?”

“Just aching,” I said quickly. 

“Um, how close do you think you are?” he placed one hand beside mine, supporting me as best he could. 

I bit my lip. “I, I don’t know. It’s getting worse,” I grit my teeth, the pressure mounting already. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful things you've said! Enjoy the chapter! Reviews make the chapters come faster :) 
> 
> Also, I am sorry about the dumb fake out nightmare scene. I couldn't help it. I know it sucks.


	11. Chapter Eleven

“Um, how close do you think you are?” he placed one hand beside mine, supporting me as best he could. 

I bit my lip. “I, I don’t know. It’s getting worse,” I grit my teeth, the pressure mounting already. 

“We need to set up some…” he paused, “ground rules.” I only raised an eyebrow at him. “Like what we’ll do if something goes wrong, or” he pushed past quickly, “or if you need to start pushing or whenever the contractors-”

“Contractions.”

“Start.” he finished. 

“Well if I need to start pushing I’ll let you know and, and I guess we’ll have to stop,” I gnawed my cheek. “But,” pain built quickly, “I need to walk through contractions. If I don’t we’ll never stop.”

“And if something goes wrong?” Lance offered tentatively. “What then?”

“Nothing is going to go wrong,” I winced, fists clenching. The contraction was close to hitting its peak. “B-Besides how would we know something is wrong? I’ve never done this before.” My sentence crumbled at the end, turning to a pained whimper. 

Lance didn’t ask questions, taking on my weight and keeping me upright. 

We walked through it, feet sinking into the sand. 

With a long low breath, I felt the pain come to an end. “How long was that?” I panted. 

“I, I don’t know,” Lance said. 

“Any chance you have a watch?” 

“I left my bag in my lion,” Lance shook his head. “Even if I had brought it the water would’ve killed it.”

“Right,” I nodded. “I can count the off time but once the contraction begins you have to count for me.”

Lance nodded solemnly. “Got it.”

We walked in silence for a short while, keeping time. After several long minutes, and painful contractions later I grabbed onto his shirt. “Don’t bother counting anymore,” I groaned loudly. “It’s all less than five minutes apart. It’s too close.”

“Do we need to stop?” Lance looked up at the tunnel. 

“No,” I pressed on. “I am not having my kid down here.” My groaned turned to a strangled scream. 

Lance held tight to me. “Keith you might not have a choice.”

My knees were shaking. “I can’t, I can’t,” I panted. “We’re close to the tunnel,”

“Keith,” Lance said quietly, a fear growing in his eyes. “Be honest with me.”

“Honest?” I asked, voice rising. “You want honest? I am terrified. I’m in so much pain I can’t think straight and all I can do to keep myself going is the hope that I won’t have to literally give birth on an evil underground nightmare beach!” 

“Keith, I,” Lance started. I could almost see his heart sinking. 

My outburst had ripped my throat raw, cutting my next scream short. My already weak legs crumpled. I dropped to the sand with a deep groan. 

Lance yelped, dropping next to me. “Keith! Keith?”

“It’s too late,” I sobbed. “I’ve got to push.” 

He took my arm. “What can I do?”

Leaning back I placed my hands on the ground. “C-coat over my legs,” I managed. 

Lance did what he was told. As he tried to dry off the damp fabric I pulled off all other clothes on my lower body, placing them under me. The contraction came to an end, the urge to push waning. My head dropped back. 

The coat was set across my knees. Lance moved back to me, taking my arm. 

“Thanks,” I said, voice quiet.

“You okay?” Lance moved behind me.

I laughed quietly, leaning back against him. “Simultaneously yes and no?” I rested my head against his shoulder. Strange how it took the worst pain of my life to bring the most human contact I’d ever had. 

“What?” his face was pale. “How is it good? You, you’re falling apart. How are you even smiling right now?”

“I’m going to meet my baby,” I said. “I mean I’ve got a little more work ahead but,” I cut myself off with a whimper. 

“Save your strength,” Lance squeezed my arm. 

“Not much strength to save,” I pulled my legs further apart, the pressure tighter around me. My groan was louder now. The sound caught in my throat. The scream lowered, guttural and vibrating in my chest. The sound was involuntary, all strength going to pushing. 

Lance stayed still as stone behind me. If he made any noise I didn’t hear it. 

I tried to keep a steady count, trying to push until I got to ten. My mind wasn’t clear enough. Instinct and pain had numbed any conscious thought. Bearing down I pushed until I couldn’t, dropping back. 

“Lance,” I panted. “You’ve got to find some help.”

“Wh- no I can’t leave you. You’re doing fine, you’re calm and everything,” Lance stuttered quickly. “I have to stay here.”

“Lance please,” I begged. 

“I can’t.”

I took a deep breath, struggling to summon a good lie. “I can. I can handle this by myself. Get your lion. When the baby is born I need to be able to get out of here, make sure they’re okay.”

Lance was slowly wilting. “Keith I promised. I wasn’t going to leave you alone in all this.”

“I can handle it. I’ve been alone for months.”

His face fell. “That’s what I mean. I don’t want to leave you for th-”

“Go!” my voice raised to a shout as the pain began again. 

Lance moved back, eyes wide and glassy. “You know, maybe I was wrong, maybe you haven’t changed. You’re still the same loner you’ve always been.” He moved to his feet and turned, sprinting away from me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being so patient!
> 
> I feel like this chapter needs some kind of dramatic little 'dun-dun-dun' or something. I didn't mean to get so angsty but I'm not apologizing for it. 
> 
> Reviews make chapters come faster. I like replying to good reviews. If you have anything you want to see them just say.


	12. Chapter Twelve

 

Lance moved back, eyes wide and glassy. “You know, maybe I was wrong, maybe you haven’t changed. You’re still the same loner you’ve always been.” He moved to his feet and turned, sprinting away from me. 

I wasn’t sure if the sob that escaped next was from the pain or something more. 

When I returned to myself, the ache in my body lessening I forced myself not to look back. He must’ve run the full way, desperate to get away. 

“I know I would be,” I placed a hand on my stomach. 

Now I was alone the only way to keep track of the passing time were the ever nearing contractions. 

Waves from the distant shore crashed down endlessly.

Above me, the dark stone ceiling remained as sturdy as it had ever been. After what felt like hours I was finally trapped, completely lost in the pains. They came on top of each other, bringing the small body further down. 

My throat was so raw I was sure it had begun to bleed, sweat came from every pore of my body. Hair pressed flat against my face I didn’t even have the strength to push it from my eyes. I’d dropped to my elbows, back half resting on the sand. My hands were covered in the grit, half hidden under the grains. 

The contraction ended, leaving me gasping. I tried to adjust, take any kind of relief from my aching shoulders. It was too much for my worn body. I dropped flat to the ground, chest hitching and heaving, trying to find what little oxygen I could suck in. 

“No more,” I rasped. “No more. I can’t.”

There was no one to fight me, no one to stop me lying there in the dirt forever. I’d lost what little will I had. 

A feeble kick brought me back. 

“No,” I protested against the silent cry. “I can’t.”

It came again. 

This wasn’t a one-sided battle. I wasn’t the only still fighting. 

I placed both hands on either side of me, lifting the patchy purple skin out from the white sand. With a tremendous heave, I was up again, knees spread. I took both in my hands and bore down. Blood rushed to my face. With my teeth grit, I kept a steady count.

“One,” I grunted. “Two…”

I only made it to seven before my second wind wound back down. 

Without the strength to speak, I slowly moved one hand down. The coat had slipped off, lying in a heap next to me. My lower body was left exposed. The less than pleasant sight met my eyes. Blinking away both sweat and tears I saw it. Clearly, for the first time, I saw a wisp of dark bloody hair. 

“Wha…” I placed my hands back on my knees and pushed again.

It was, it really was. After months of pregnancy, leaving the ones I cared for behind, after weeks of pain and hours of labor I was seeing my child’s head. 

“Come on,” I whispered. I wasn’t sure who I was encouraging, myself or the tiny child. 

Taking a deep breath I squeezed my eyes shut, envisioning what I was doing. Using what little energy I had left I pushed down. 

A new pain broke through the ever-growing list. A fiery burning began around my nether regions. I whimpered, not daring to stop. It stung, ripping me in half. Alone in a tiny cavern with nothing but the clothes on my back I was sure I was going to die. 

Even that thought couldn’t stop me. 

The burning lessened and I felt my progress retreat. 

“No,” I grunted. “No, you don’t. You can’t-” the contractions broke. My feet dropped to the ground. 

“Please,” I sobbed. “Please. Just a little longer.”

All too soon the pain was mounting again. Gripping on leg I twisted myself, made to wring the baby out of me if needs be. The fire returned, more intense. The sharp pain sliced through me, sharper than the dull throb that came with every contraction. 

“Come on,” I took a deep breath. 

“One,” I pushed with all my might. 

“Two,” the pain climbed higher. 

“Three,” my nails dug into the skin of my knee. 

“Four,” my eyes pressed tight, wrinkling my brows. 

“Five,” sweat poured down my face and spine, soaking me to the bone. 

“Six,” I couldn’t take any more. I was being torn apart, ripped to shreds by the pain and the pressure. 

“Seven,” Somehow I managed to keep going. 

“Eight,” I redoubled my attempts, determined to make this contraction count. “

Nine,” the agony hit a peak. There were only two ways now, my baby or complete shut down. 

“Ten!” With a feeling akin to something popping the pressure lightened. 

I opened my eyes. Between my legs, a blurry misshapen sphere stayed. I couldn’t see anything. 

The next contraction was on me before I could take a few breaths. The need to push was overwhelming. After having fought with the urge for so long it was almost as difficult to go against it. 

Panting aloud I slowly slid back to the ground. 

I thought I could hear a low rumbling above me. My senses must’ve broken. 

With a low whimper, I gave a gentle push, bending back over. The last of the pressure vanished. I sat up, one knee moving under me. I reached, half blind for the small mess before me. There was no noise. Why wasn’t there any noise?

Then came the crash. From behind me the roar of thunder, louder than anything I’d ever heard in my life, ripped through the cavern. Rocks, dirt poured from the ceiling, rocks fell from high above. Some hit the water with the energy of sharks. Others hit sand and trees, sending both splintered and sand dust-up. 

I turned, lids half open to see the lion, the colors going in and out of black and white. 

Not that, not now. I couldn't worry about that now. Turning back I lifted the minuscule body into my arms. There was no cry. The tiny creature in my arms was cold. 

No. It wasn’t possible. I’d felt the kicks only minutes before. 

Tears were spilling down my cheeks. I wasn’t sure when they’d begun, whether during labor or now. 

“No,” I whimpered. My voice was ruined. I was lost. I’d done something wrong. Why had I insisted on this? If I had swallowed my pride, If I’d let Lance stay…

“Keith!” Lance was yelling. 

I ignored him, laying down atop my filthy clothes. 

I’d have to stay here. They’d have to bury me next to my child. We had been one once. I could never let them part us, not now, not ever. 

“Keith!” there was a hand on my arm. 

The touch was all I needed. It was silent permission. There was someone there now, someone to see the baby was taken care of. Maybe they would get a proper end. But me, I was going to stay in that desolate cave. It was over. I was done. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That cliff hanger though. 
> 
> Anywho, thank you all so much for supporting this story! I know it's crazy short but there WILL be an epilogue. 
> 
> I actually have something to ask of you guys. I am trying to re-tag this fic. If you guys could help me find some more content covering tags that would be utterly fantastic. Thank you all again!

**Author's Note:**

> My second story for ao3 I really hope you enjoy!


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